Kathy - I had an American mom a couple of years ago who was married to a man from India (I'm sorry I don't remember what part). When their firstborn was a few months old they took him back to India for two months to visit with the paternal grandparents. I asked her to ask her mother-in-law about bf in India. When she got back she told me that her mother-in-law told her that years ago in the area in which she grew up they believed that the longer a child nursed the longer they would live. Boys, of course, were more valued than girls, so the sons would be called in to nurse once a day by their mothers until they were 9 or 10 years old. I nursed my kids for a LONG time, but I think I'd have trouble convincing my 10 year old to come in and nurse! Cynthia - mom of Morgan (10), Tyler (6) and Dillon (2), nine tropical fish, two Gouldian finches, two Egyptian spiny mice, 1 parakeet and one Welsh Corgi!